Heeding the cry for help: Addressing bullying as a public health issue through law and policy

Over the past several years, school districts across the United States have seen an increase in student suicide due to bullying. Many of these suicides were the result of continued harassment, humiliation, and physical violence students faced because their classmates perceived them to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Research has shown that LGBT students are bullied at higher rates. Bullying has negative health consequences for all of the individuals involved. Bullied students suffer physical injury, social and emo¬tional distress, and have an increased risk for mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Students that bully others have an increased risk for substance use, academic problems, and violence later in adolescence and adulthood. Students that witness bullying also suffer similar health consequences.

Federal and state governments, with varying degree of success, have passed anti-bullying statutes to curtail the incidence of bullying. Unfortunately, many of these laws do not protect LGBT students adequately nor do they offer preventative approaches to assure that all students feel safe within their schools. Many LGBT students must wait until egregious physical harm has occurred in order to seek legal protection. From a public health perspective, this is too late. This presentation will discuss the unique characteristics of LGBT bullying, the impact of bullying on health and the legislative and policy changes that must be made to address LGBT bullying as a public health issue.